rich long

Yep, looks like my Calumet Wood Field - but yours is in much better shape. Calumet still has some lens boards for this, but they'll charge you about $70 each. It's my understanding that there were two versions of this camera, using different size lensboards. The 3-5/8" almost (but not quite) square boards are used on the early model.

Alan, thanks for the explanation.

 

Jim is that the Spanish Peaks and La Veta? Regardless of the location, it's a great photo.

Alan, wouldn't the polarizer's filter factor vary depending on how much polarization you apply by rotating the filter?

When you point your camera at a scene and press the shutter button half-way down, it shows you the f-stop and shutter speed that it's going to use when you click the shutter. That's "taking a reading". The camera has measured the amount of light and suggested an exposure. But the camera thinks that the world is middle-gray, so it always exposes for that. If your scene included a ski slope with a snow-covered mountain, and little or nothing else, then your picture will come out gray (underexposed) unless you adjust the f-stop or shutter speed to let more light in. If your scene included a black asphalt parking lot and little or nothing else, then your picture will come out gray (overexposed) unless you adjust the f-stop or shutter speed to let less light in.

 

I'm not sure what controls your Rebel has, but if possible, adjust the exposure for +1 stop if the frame is half-filled with white snow or clouds. If the frame is nearly all bright snow, adjust for 2 stops overexposure.

 

The best plan is to practice this before you go. Once you understand the concept and have seen the results with your camera, it's pretty easy to do.

 

Enjoy your visit!<div></div>

For those who don't need the latest and greatest, Epson has a $100 rebate right now on the 3200. Not many places have any still in stock, but I just got one from B&H. After the rebate, it's only $270.

I kicked myself a few times over the years for not having a camera with me. But now I just try to enjoy the moment to its fullest. I've concluded that the important thing is that I appreciate my surroundings, not necessarily capturing every memorable event on film.

 

Of course last Sunday morning, when those two bull elk were standing 50 yards off the road in the new snow.... Well, at least I have the image in my mind.

Yes, Kent, they have. But people have been drinking beer for longer than that, and frankly, I'm not tired of either one yet.

 

A little variety is usually a good thing, however.<div></div>

Yup, follow Virgw's directions to get there.

 

If I had to spend a night somewhere along the way, I'd do it in Gunnison. Then I'd get up early and drive the 25 miles or so up to Crested Butte and look around there. Gothic, Slate Creek, Cement Creek, Kebler Pass, Schofield Pass, etc (pick a few, not all). Don't let the scenery in Gunnison (dull) fool you into thinking that CB can't be much better. It is. Hopefully you don't mind dirt roads...

 

I'd probably leave the CB area around noon and make my way to Durango. If you're new to the area, Highway 550 between Ouray and Silverton will have you stopping every mile or so, so give yourself plenty of time.

 

If your budget will allow it, rent a Jeep or 4WD and spend at least a day exploring Engineer Pass, Cinnamon, Yankee Boy, Ophir Pass, or other easy Forest Service roads.<div></div>

I went up to the Crested Butte area on Father's Day (June 17?). Saw more flowers that one day than I saw there all last summer. It's shaping up to be a great year for wildflowers.

 

There's still some snow up high (10,500 ft and above). Washington Gulch was open all the way up to Paradise Pass, but PP was blocked at the very top by 3+ feet of snow. Paradise Basin looked to have a LOT of snow still hanging around. I expect most of the roads to be open by mid-July.

It sounds to me like your first priority should be a location where the potential for return on investment is good. I think those areas may be the same ones that have scenic locations. If you're only there 2 months in the summer, you may want to be reasonably close to a ski area to attract winter tenants. But I'm not a realtor, investment banker, or land speculator, so what do I know?

 

What I've found in the 2.5 years that I've lived here (yes, I know, I'm opening myself up to attack since I wasn't born here) is that there are lots of beautiful places to practice nature photography. No matter where you end up, you'll probably explore close to home for a little while then begin traveling farther afield to explore new areas. Currently, my photo gear includes a tent, sleeping bag, and 4-wheel drive vehicle. Day trips and paved roads are nice, but overnight along a Forest Service road is more fun and often more scenic. And once in a while I manage to get a decent photo.

 

I'm guessing that anywhere in or near the mountains will fit the bill for nature photography. Like Burlington.

 

(All of my Burlington comments are very tongue-in-cheek. Only a moron would believe that you can photograph two-thirds of the state from an 8-foot stepladder. It's common knowledge that a 10-footer is required for that.)

Todd has an excellent point. Housing and land in Burlington are most likely quite affordable. With just a fraction of the money saved on housing, one could buy an 8-foot stepladder and a telephoto lens and would then be able to photograph two-thirds of the state without leaving home.

 

If I didn't have to commute to work every day, I'd consider moving to Burlington myself. Colorado Springs (where I live now) is a nice town, but no matter where you are in the Springs the view is blocked by Pikes Peak. This is true of many towns in Colorado, especially the more popular ones - those pesky mountains block the view. Burlington doesn't have this problem, and should be worthy of serious consideration.

If you want some verbal stimulation for a trip such as this, go to the library and pick up a copy of "Blue Highways" by William Least-Heat Moon.

 

I agree with several of the previous posters - stay off the main roads and you'll find what you're looking for. Americana still exists, but it's not as easy to find as it used to be.

That's probably the same photo I was thinking of. Definitely no tripod present, but it was the ultimate in 'swamp photography'.

Is anyone else reminded of the photo of Frans Lanting standing shoulder-deep in a pond taking photos of elephants?? (wish I could find it and post a link)

In my 10 years of hiking/photography in SNP, I saw a few bears (like 5 or 6) but never when I actually wanted to. Hope you have better luck. You're pretty much guaranteed to see lots of deer at Big Meadows, but bears are fewer and less predictable. The suggestion of calling the park headquarters is probably best, although they may actually steer you away from bears in an attempt to protect you both.

I'm no expert, having only been there a couple of times. I always found plenty to shoot just parking the car on the paved road and taking a hike around. Sunrise is good also.<div></div>

Another vote for GNDs (filters, not females). At the risk of starting a different kind of brand war, my first thought was similar to Todd's - my 4x4 Ford BroncoII.

Helene, I think that in order to use the highest or lowest ratings, you have to supply a critique along with your rating. Not sure about that...

 

Under the General (archived) forum there's a discussion that explains how it works.

 

I can't answer Justin's question. My situation is that I'm much busier at work than I used to be and have little or no time for browsing this site lately. The site is certainly changing.

Mel said:

"I'm painting with a very broad brush when I ask what leads folks to assume that everyone who monitors this forum, and responds to questions herein, knows each model number of every manufacturer in the history of photographic gear!"

 

Mel, I don't think anyone assumes that any single person knows all makes and models. But most of us assume that SOMEONE will know the model we're asking a question about. If I don't know the model mentioned in the subject line of a post, I generally assume that I won't be able to answer the question. If I see someone has a question about gear that I am familiar with, I'll see if I can help (and often I fail miserably - this perhaps being a prime example). I see nothing wrong with the way this question is asked.

 

Darren-

Fill flash with the 645N and 500ftz has been discussed here several times over the last few years. I can't recall the procedure well enough to explain it, but a quick search turned up the following discussions......

 

Wait a minute, Darren, I see that you've been involved in most of those discussions. Let me re-read your question.

 

Oh, it's strictly the wording in the manual. Here's my best understanding of the situation: The flash manual's use of the term "Daylight Sync Flash" is referring to a camera-controlled feature, not a flash-unit controlled feature, so you won't find this mode on the flash itself. The 645n manual doesn't use this exact term, but it does have a very useless section titled "Daylight Sync Shooting". I believe that the flash manual is attempting to refer the reader to the useless Daylight Sync section in the camera manual.

 

My conclusion (yours may differ) is two-fold: 1) Mel is right - the manuals for our high-end Pentax gear are not very useful; 2) Fill-flash with the 645n and 500ftz can be accomplished, but it's not an automated procedure. This leads me back to the discussions I started to reference above.

 

Sorry I can't provide a more useful response, but I think this is one area where our 645n/500ftz combinations are somewhat lacking.

It's pretty hard to NOT find photo ops in that area. I generally like to get off on the forest service roads in 4WD, but you should find plenty to shoot without that.

 

A few miles north of Buena Vista, just south of Leadville, you should make a short side trip off Rte 24 to check out Twin Lakes. You mentioned the Cottonwood Pass road, which is also well worth the drive. After you get over the pass, you might want to continue on down for at least a mile or two. There's a 'scenic view' parking lot that I've never checked out. But just past it, at a switchback, there's a short unmarked trail (a few hundred yards) that takes you to the top of the ridge and some really good views. Depending on how much time you have, you may want to continue on down to Taylor Reservoir and explore that area (southeast to Tincup and northeast toward the west side of the Collegiate peaks).

 

South of Buena Vista, just south of Mt. Princeton, a side trip to to St. Elmo might be worthwhile. There's a lot of 4WD stuff surrounding St. Elmo, but some 2WD also if you don't mind bumpy dirt roads.

 

The canyon south of Salida (Bighorn Sheep Canyon) is pretty cool, but I've never attempted any photography there. The canyon is just wide enough for the Arkansas River (fairly small at that point), Rte 50, and the RR tracks. It's a very scenic and twisty 60 miles (more or less) from Salida to Canon City. If you drive that route through the canyon, you'll understand how both towns got their names (spanish for "canyon" and "exit").

 

Westcliffe is in a beautiful setting. I can't point out any specific roads, but you won't be disappointed with the Sangre de Cristos in that area.

 

Depending on your schedule and committments, you may or may not want to squeeze in a day over around Crested Butte. It's currently my favorite area in the state for photography (subject to change) and much of it is accessible in 2WD.

 

I'm sure you'll find plenty of photo ops wherever you go. There's a book that might be worth picking up - "Guide to Colorado Back Roads and 4WD Trails" by Charles Wells. At least 25% of the roads described are easily done in a 2WD car, several are in your target area, and many are very scenic. Have fun!

Check this subject under the "archived" forum for a link to a piece that NPR had this morning on "Morning Edition". They interviewed Frans Lanting about Galen. It's a good piece.

<P>

<I>Here is <A HREF="http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/segment_display.cfm?segID=148248">the link</A> Rich refers to. -- Shun Cheung</I>

<BR>

http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/segment_display.cfm?segID=148248

Pass (noun): a means (as an opening, road, or channel) by which a barrier may be passed or access to a place may be gained; especially : a low place in a mountain range

 

A pass is where you cross over (or through) the mountain range. The actual pass is the high point on the road where you transition from going up one side to going down the other side. Most of the time, there are good views from the passes in Colorado. The roads are usually named after the pass that they cross - Engineer Pass road, Black Bear Pass road, Ophir Pass road, etc.

 

Anticipating your next question, a "divide" is the ridge line that separates one watershed from another. Rain or snowmelt on the east side of the Dallas Divide flows into the Uncompaghre River. On the west side, it flows into the San Miguel River.

Get a hotel room in Ouray (or camp nearby), and explore the area. Sneffels/Dallas Divide/Yankee Boy are all with about 30 minutes drive from there.

Another vote for the 24mm. The perspective difference between 20 and 24 is much bigger than between 28 and 35. I loved both the 20 and the 24 when I shot 35mm format, but the 24 shot more keepers than the 20.

I've been venturing into the mountains for camping/photography/exploring about every 3rd weekend this summer. I'm no expert, this being only my second summer as a Colorado resident, but it seems like the higher elevations have been getting quite a bit more rain than the front range. Far less than normal, I'm sure, but the aspens don't show any signs of stress that are obvious enough for me to see. I'd agree with the post above- come on out in September and take a look. Just keep your options open when you arrive - there will be some spectacular photos waiting to be discovered somewhere.